Lawn mower grass stop



Nov. 22, 1949 w. F. SURGI 2,489,059

LAWN MOWER GRASS STOP Filed. Oct. 22. 1946 INVENTOR MLL/HM 5026 ATTORNEYPatented Nov. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LAWN MOWER GRASS STOPWilliam F. Surgi, New Orleans, La.

Application October 22, 1946, Serial No. 704,947

Claims.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a lawn mowerof the type comprising horizontal cutting blades revolving about avertical axis, with simple and effective means for preventing anobjectionable dispersion of the severed grass blades.

In the operation of a lawn mower of the type specified, the cuttingblades revolve with a relatively high velocity over an annular zonesurrounding and displaced from the vertical cutter axis. In normaloperation, most of the severed grass blades are thrown with considerablevelocity to one side of the path of the movement of the lawn mower, as aresult of centrifugal force and the fan action of the cutter. Duringportions of most lawn mowing operations, objectional scattering of thesevered grass blades is prevented, or substantially minimized, by theuncut grass at the side of the lawn mower toward which the severedblades are thrown. Heretofore, however, in practically every lawn mowingoperation, there has been an objectionable scattering of grass bladesover the ground in the final portion, at least of the operation, exceptwhen the lawn mower has been provided with an effective grass catchingor collecting device. I have discovered, however, that it is practicallyfeasible to prevent scattering of the severed grass blades by meanssimpler, lighter in weight and less expensive to construct than aneffective lawn mower grass catching attachment, and consistingessentially of a baflle or grass arresting curtain carried by the lawnmower at the side of the latter toward which the grass blades arethrown.

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention arepointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to, and forming apart of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention,however, its advantages and specific objects attained by its use,reference should be had to the accompanying drawing and descriptivematter in which I have illustrated and described a preferred form of thepresent invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the lawn mower embodying the presentinvention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view, and Fig. 3 is an elevation, of a portion of thelawn mower shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is an elevation partly in section on the line l!6 of Fig. 2. I

In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated, by way of example, theuse of the present invention in, and in connection with, a lawn' mowerof general type and form shown in the Packwood patent, No. 2,287,126,granted May 21, 1942. The lawn mower shown herein comprises a mainframework A, to which are secured the axles B of the two rear mainwheels C of the lawn mower. As shown, the wheels C are of conventionalrubber tired type and are held in place on the axles B- by cap nuts oranalogous wheel retaining elements B. The framework A comprises avertically disposed tubular part D in front of the wheels B. Anon-rotatable post or shaft E extends through the tubular frame part Dand is supported by a frame part d above the part D. The front groundengaging device or element of the lawn mower is connected to the lowerend of the post E. As shown, said device or element comprises a roller Fjournaled in supporting arms F secured to the lower end of the post E.The roller F and arms F are arranged for rotation of the roller about a,horizontal axis transverse to the general direction of movement over theground.

The frame part D also provides a support for the rotating grass cutterG, which is arranged to rotate about a vertical axis with which the postE is ordinarily coaxial. In the form shown, the cutter structurecomprises a metal bar, having a generally horizontal central portion anddepending end portions G to the lower ends of which horizontal outwardlyextending cutting blades g are secured. The upper central portion of thecutter is attached to, and is supported and rotated by a dependingtubular shaft portion H of a pulley H, having a depending tubular shaftportion H which surrounds the post E and extends down through the framepart D. The pulley H is between the frame part D and the frame part d.

The upper end of the post E is connected to and supported by the part d.The pulley 1-1 and thereby the grass cutter G, is rotated through a beltI by an internal combustion engine J or other motor mounted on the lawnmower framework and having a driving pulley J, about which the belt I islooped. The lawn mower is manually moved, and is guided in its movementsthrough a handle K of conventional form which is attached to the rearportion of the lawn mower framework.

In the form of the invention shown in the drawings, undesirabledispersion or scattering of the severed grass blades is prevented by avertical grass stop or baffie L, which is supported by the lawn mowerframework at the side of the lawnmower toward which the severed grassblades are thrown by the cutter G. In the desirable tion 1 which isremovably received in a vertical passage formed in a bracket A welded orotherwise secured to the guard ring portion 'A aof the:

lawn mower framework. As shown, the body portion of the arm L issubstantiallyhorizontal,

and the body portion of the {arm L3 is inclined downwardly from the rodL to the level of the bracket A the latter being located ata lower levelthan the wheel retaining elements B.

The body =of-the grassstop onbafile L-may advantageously be in form of asuspended curtain made of canvas or analogous material; and having anupper edge portion doubled back onthe body of the canvas and stitched orotherwiseattached thereto soas to forma hem portion L through which therod :L' extends At its lower edge the canvas body of. the-bafile isformed with a second hem portion L which receives a metal bar L whichservesasa weight normally holdingthe baffle in a vertical;..pos-ition.As shown, the upper ends of the rods L;and L are bent in-v ward towardthe center line of .the lawn mower, though this is not essential Asshown, the-baflle L -is located at the right hand side of. the lawnmower aszseen by the op-. erator moving the lawn. mower over the groundthrough its handle Thisrlocation of the baffle or stop wall L requiresthe rotation-of the grass cutter to be clockwise; as seen. by the;operator. In normal operation, the-cutting ,efiect of each blade goccurs while the bladeis-movingfrom left to right through ,an;arcuate'portion of its annular path of movement in;front of the cutteraxis. The motionof weachxblade g during the portion of a revolution inwhich its grasscuttingaction occurs, comprisesa variable motioncomponent transverse to the line-:of lawn mower movement, and a variablecomponent parallel to the line of lawn mower r-movement; The resultantsof those components of the cutting blade movement through successiveshort sections of the cutting arc are.not-parallel.- -However, thegeneral effect of the-centrifugahand fanforces to which the severedgrass blades are-subjected by the rotating cutter, coupled with therestraining effect of the uncut grass in front of the lawn mower, is tothrow most of .the .severedgrass blades to the right hand side of themower. With the bailie L arranged as shown,- most of the severed grassblades will impinge against the mowin action is frequentlyeifectedwholly 01'- mainly by such parallel back and forth movements alongopposite sides of the unmowed portion of the grass that. the severedblades are constantly being thrown into and against the remaining uncutgrass. -It is usually unnecessary in such case to make use of the baffleuntil all but a final narrow strip of grasshasbeen out.

If the baffie is then putintousa the bulk of all the grass bladesseveredthereafter and. thosesevered earlier in the operation, will bethrown against the baflle L and will drop on the ground to form a singlerow a few inches wide. The cut grass thus concentrated in a singlewindrow can be readily collected and removed at the completion of thelawn mowing operation.

The grass arresting baffle L shown and described herein is simple andrelatively inexpensive in construction and light of weight, and can be.quicklyand easily attached to, and removed from, the lawn mower." Withits arm or branch L substantially horizontal and with the arm Ldownwardly inclined as shown in Fig. 4, and with the armL connected tothe supporting rod L about midway between the ends of the latter, thesimple connections between the bafile and lawn mower. framework provideadequate stability in the support for the bafile.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes, I haveillustrated and described the best formzofsembodiment of my inventionnow known tome, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art'thatchanges may be made in the form of the apparatus disclosed withoutdeparting from thespirit-ofmy invention as set forth in the appendedclaims, and that in some cases certain features of my invention may beused to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. Foruse in a lawn mower comprising a wheeled framework movable overthe ground and a grass cutting elementvmounted in saidframe worktorevolve about a vertical-axis and tending to disperse severed grassblades in the space at one side ofthe lawn mower, the improvementcomprising a grass stop at said one side of the lawn mower including avertical wall elongated in the direction of lawn mower-movement overthegroundand including supporting parts for the attachment of said-wallto the lawn mower framework with the lower edge of the wall displacedupward from-the ground, and with the sidel-ofthe wall adjacent the lawnmower displaced from the periphery of the circular path ofmovement ofthegrass cutting element by a horizontal distance substantially greaterthan the upward. displacement of the lower edge. of the stop-from theground, whereby the stop is opreative to arrest grass blades beingthrown tov said one. side of thelower mower by said cutting.

element and to. deflect them on to the ground to form a single narrowwindrow.

2. Animprovement asspecified in claim 1, in

porting bar for use in detachably connecting the grass stop to thelawn-mower, and to which the upper edge of .said wall is attached andfrom which .waJlv is suspended.

3. An improvement as specified in claim 1, inwhich the grass stopcomprises a horizontal supporting bar for use in detachably connectingthe grass stop to the lawn mower, and a dependingflexible wall portionhaving an upper edge portion attached tosaid bar, and weighting meansattached-.to said flexible portion adjacent its lower iedgeto hold saidportion taut and in a vertical position.

4. An improvement as specified in claim 1, in

cluding a horizontal bar from which said wallis suspended andtwotransverse arms rigidly attached-to said bar for usein connecting thelatt,er. to and-supporting it from-said framework;

one of said arms being connected to said bar approximately midwaybetween the ends of the bar, and extending away from the bar in adownwardly inclined direction for connection to said framework at alevel lower than the level of said bar, and the other arm beingconnected to said bar adjacent one end of the latter, and extending awayfrom the bar in a direction different from the first mentioned directionfor connection to said framework at a level difierent from the firstmentioned level.

5. A grass stop adapted for detachable connection to the framework of alawn mower at one side of the latter, comprising a rigid bar with armsrigidly attached to said bar and extending later- 5' REFERENCES CITEDThe following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,805,927 Sharp May 19, 19312,278,922 Goodall Apr. 7, 1942 2,390,321 Packwood Dec. 4, 1945

